Credit: Racing Photos
Punters and bookies were on the money for Saturday’s feature races on both sides of the Tasman. On paper, the Winx Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), the country’s first Group 1 of the season, looked like a match race between Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) and Sheza Alibi (Saxon Warrior) and, sure enough, that’s how they finished with the five-year-old Autumn Glow proving stronger than her year younger rival.
Often, top three-year-olds find their four-year-old season quite difficult against the older, meaner five and six-year-olds but Sheza Alibi did herself and her connections proud. The public response to the matchup says it all.
In New Zealand, eyes were trained on Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) and her return to the battlefield in the Foxbridge Plate (Gr 2, 1200m). One question mark was whether she had recovered from her crash through the Ellerslie running rail in last March’s King’s Plate (Gr 3, 1200m) when looking the likely winner.
Described in the Stewards’ Report as ducking inwards at the 100m, the mare appeared to attempt a jump. Post race she was found to have a minor laceration to her inner left thigh and light abrasions on the same lower leg.
Trialling at Te Rapa on August 8th she quietened possible concerns with a smooth win, under a hold by Michael McNab. By some coincidence, second in the trial was Media World (Written Tycoon) who would finish runner up in the Plate.
This time she found the lead easily and cornered beautifully, hugging tight to the rail into the straight. McNab waited and didn’t ask for an effort until the 150m where the response was immediate. Over the last 100m she was too quick, evidenced by a smart 1:10.31 on the Soft 6 surface.
“She got [to the front] easily and switched off well before she found a good kick,” said McNab, adding: “I think she will take good improvement from this.” Co-trainer Ken Kelso commented: “I just don’t know what happened in Melbourne after she went so well in the Moir first up. She is a different horse after her spell and is back to her old self.”
Similar to the Sydney clash, we in New Zealand are looking forward to our first Group 1 of the season, Ellerslie’s Proisir Plate (1400m), scheduled for September 5th, as the unbeaten Well Written (Written Tycoon) is expected to return. Alabama Lass is also headed to Ellerslie in what could be the Kiwi version of the Winx Stakes.
Both mares are ready. Well Written was commanding in her trial at Taupo on August 16th, accelerating when nudged at the 150m. Similar to Sheza Alibi, the interest will be whether she can handle the older runners. Alabama Lass was far from all out at Te Rapa and connections are not concerned about the extra 200m. She has won over 1400m, as a three-year-old, at Ellerslie, in the Soliloquy Stakes (Gr 2). McNab believes that with some cover Alabama Lass should not have any issue with the distance. The matchup is intriguing.
The Foxbridge Plate is Alabama Lass’s seventh career win in 14 starts and courtesy of $436,000 in Australian earnings now boasts a bank of $1.2 million, a healthy return on the $120,000 outlayed for her at the 2023 Melbourne Wm Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
She is the best of six winners from six to race from the Commands (Danehill) mare Tabliope whose bloodlines are quite interesting. Commands is a grandson of the great Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight) while Tabliope’s dam Cliantha is by Viscount whose great grandam is also Eight Carat. The next best in the family is Tabliope’s grandam Seika (Canny Lad), a Flemington Group 1 placed winner of seven races including the Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m).
Foot to the floor
Fresh from claiming two stallion trophies on behalf of Per Incanto (Street Cry) at the recent New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Awards, Little Avondale Stud’s Sam Williams’ grin will hardly have diminished after two top rate Randwick performances.
Gringotts (Per Incanto), third in the Winx Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), was very solid late. Midfield and widest into the straight, he was giving the two mares a good start but at the 150m warmed to his work. Nothing was travelling better at the line and in the same form he could be in for a super spring, especially at his preferred 1600m.
Prima Bella (Per Incanto), gutsy winner of the Toy Show Quality Handicap (Gr 3, 1100m), racked up stakes winner 38 for her sire. The mare is tough. Parked outside the leader to the top of the straight she took a narrow lead inside the 400m only to lose it at the 300m. To the 100m it seemed she was unable to get the upper hand. Courageously, she fought back and inched in front just short of the line for a great win, her eighth in 15 starts for earnings of $480,825.
Unraced at two, she won her only start at three after which she was out for 11 months then recorded three wins as a four-year-old including at Warwick Farm. Last season she added wins at Flemington and Randwick, the latter track proving her favourite. Saturday’s win was her third in succession and her first attempt at stakes class. Another first was the distance as the speedster was making her first attempt beyond 1000m.
Trainer Matthew Smith complimented his owners for their patience: “They’ve been very patient. She had a year off at one stage, so they’ve been rewarded. It has been fantastic.”
Purchased for $320,000 at the 2022 Wm Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Prima Bella is from seven-race winner Brah Spring (Darci Brahma) and ranks as a three-quarter sister to Listed stakes winner Pure Incanto (Per Incanto). From the stud’s foundation family, big earner Evaporate, Group 3 winner Bellucci Babe and Listed winner Magnum are all close relatives and all are by Per Incanto.
As pointed out by Trevor Marshallsea in yesterday’s ANZ Bloodstock News’ lead, Per Incanto could be in for another banner year. In addition to Gringotts, Jimmysstar and Evaporate are back and ready.
What about me?
Last stop of Sunday’s 2026 Waikato Stallion Parade was Cambridge Stud where most interest would probably be in the new boy in town, Charyn (Dark Angel). Who doesn’t like shiny and new? Such interest is understandable as Charyn, a superb miler, is an exciting prospect.
Nevertheless, the weekend’s talking points included an inter-city metro double by the stud’s now permanent resident Almanzor (Wootton Bassett), the first high profile stallion to stand at Cambridge since the stud changed hands.
Foire De Trone was successful in the 2400m Benchmark 78 Handicap at Randwick while Diamond Show took out the 2200m Benchmark 80 Handicap at Doomben.
Five-year-old mare Foire De Trone is the best form of her life. In six starts since April she has notched four wins: three mid-weekers at Sandown and Saturday’s first attempt clockwise, at Randwick where she rallied late after seeming to be battling at the 300m.
In 15 starts she has bagged five wins, banking $212,000. Her trainer Ciaron Maher found her at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, outlaying $120,000. Should she earn some black-type this spring her attractive international sire lines will only be enhanced. Her dam is a three-quarter sister to dual Group 3 winner Trade Fair (Zafonic) as well as a half sister to dual Group 3 winner Kings Fete (King’s Best).
Also with five wins and from the same crop as Foire De Tron is Diamond Show who graduated from mid-week class to Saturday’s Benchmark 80 level, the mare appreciating the step up in distance. Last to the 600m she cut the corner into the straight before winding her way between runners to take a narrow lead inside the 100m then held on gamely.
Diamond Show was not offered for sale but like Foire De Trone, she has some family behind her, in her case stud book royalty in the shape of the Eight Carat family. Diamond Show is one of six winners from Moonee Valley winner and Queensland Oaks (Gr 1, 2200m) second Zenella (Zabeel). They include the Listed winner Miss Ella (Iffraaj).
Zenella’s brother Zephyron (Zabeel) was a Brisbane Group 3 winner while her half-sister is the Group 1 placed Blazer Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) winner Forever Loved (High Chaparral). Zenella’s dam Diamond Like (Danehill) was a Listed winning sister or half-sister to three Group winners including Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) victor Viking Ruler (Danehill).
Good signs
Racing returned to Hastings for an abbreviated seven-race card on a track rated as a Heavy 8. That, in itself is not so unusual at this time of year but what was so pleasing was how the refurbished surface held up.
Although the winning times reflected the state of the track, no big clods of turf were being thrown, a great sign for the upcoming meetings which will include the Howden Insurance Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) on Saturday September 26th, followed two weeks later by the Livamol Classic (Gr 1, 2040m).
The track, home of the spring triple crown for many years, lost the traditional 1400m Group 1 season opener, now raced as the Proisir Plate, to Ellerslie and has not staged the Group 1 mile or the Livamol since 2023. In 2024 the mile was switched to Matamata (midweek) and the Livamol to Te Rapa. Last year Te Rapa held the mile and Ellerslie the Livamol.
As previously mentioned, the Foxbridge Plate was run in a sharp 1:10.31 so congratulations are in order for the Te Rapa track staff. Ellerslie’s StrathAyr track rarely is worse than a Soft 5 so our spring racing is looking good.
